NOVOSIBIRSK, May 21. /TASS/. India is interested in the development of military and technical cooperation with Russia, especially with regard to air force, Indian Ambassador to Russia Pundi Srinivasan Raghavan told reporters in the Siberian city of Novosibirsk on Thursday.

"Russia is our primary military partner - in the past, in the present and it will remain in the future," the ambassador said. "It doesn’t matter that there is a little bit of diversification in India’s military cooperation with other countries. It does not affect our cooperation with Russia."

He noted that India was particularly interested in joint projects in the field of air force - be it aircraft or helicopters, adding that the two sides had new opportunities for cooperation.

"We are actually interested in developing all areas of cooperation with Novosibirsk. We know that Novosibirsk is a center of science and technology. We are very interested in increasing the number of joint research programs between India and Novosibirsk region, between Indian and Novosibirsk institutions, in joint research in science and technology. We are interested in taking this forward to commercialization of new technologies developed in both countries" the Indian ambassador noted.

Meanwhile, Governor of the Novosibirsk region Vladimir Gorodetsky said that the presentation of the Novosibirsk region in New Delhi last year had given fresh impetus to the bilateral cooperation.

Novosibirsk is home to an aircraft repair plant, which is part of the Russian Helicopters holding company. Over the past five decades, it repaired more than 6,500 various helicopters. In recent years, the plant was engaged in upgrading helicopters and their conversion into patrol, search-and-rescue, fire-fighting, air ambulance helicopters and also luxury helicopters.